East Stroudsburg truancy officer, crossing guard retiring after years of service

They might not be in the classroom, but East Stroudsburg Area School District employees Al Klingele and Pat Dias are essential to the students they look out for each day, said district Chief of Police Frederick Mill.

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By CHRISTINA TATU

poconorecord.com

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted Jun. 12, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted Jun. 12, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

They might not be in the classroom, but East Stroudsburg Area School District employees Al Klingele and Pat Dias are essential to the students they look out for each day, said district Chief of Police Frederick Mill.

The two employees will be missed when they retire at the end of the school year.

Dias has worked as a school crossing guard for 12 years, seven of them in the East Stroudsburg Area School District.

"A crossing guard job is not what it's cut out to be because you have to be out there every single day no matter the weather, but Pat always has a smile on her face," Mill said. "Those kids are going to miss her, and so is everybody else she waves to every morning."

Klingele has worked in the district for about 17 years, taking over as truancy officer in 2001.

"Al is so loyal to this job, it's unbelievable. He's been here all the time. He's my right-hand man," Mill said.

Dias can often be seen on the corner of North Courtland and Broad streets. She will miss her interaction with the students.

"You want to be sure the kids are safe. You want to be sure they are getting across the street carefully and that they are always listening and don't walk out into traffic," she said.

Students remember her; some of them even come back to visit.

"I have students that when they've graduated and are home from college on summer vacation, they will stop by my corner and say, 'Miss, this is what I'm doing now,'" Dias said.

Dias, who will be 62 in September, started as a crossing guard in New Jersey when her children were in elementary school. Now she wants to spend more time with her husband, who is already retired.

"We have three grandchildren in New Jersey and we plan to spend some time with them," Dias said.

Klingele used to work as a New York City police officer before moving to Pennsylvania.

"I really enjoyed working with the kids and the staff. I'm leaving only because I want to do other things, like travel, but I love my job," he said.

Klingele's job involves visiting the families of children who have below-standard attendance in school.

"I speak to the families in reference to the laws in the state of Pennsylvania and the district's policy on attendance," he said.

In many instances, the parents may not be aware their child is missing so much school.

"With parents that travel for work, sometimes they aren't home when their children are supposed to get up and get on the bus," Klingele said.

Monroe County's judges support a truancy elimination program, which Klingele is proud to say East Stroudsburg participates in.

"Before ever making it a court case, we have a meeting with the judge, a representative of the school district and a representative of Children and Youth," he said.

Klingele is on the road a lot, having made 612 home visits regarding residency verification and truancy in 2012-13.

But he likes his job.

"I've enjoyed my 17 years here and hope I've made a positive change by getting children to school, and when they get to school, they have the opportunity to learn," he said.